Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Many patients are taking Vitamin and Mineral Supplements for specific parts of their body.  Eyes are the most common body part.  Magnesium is the most common extra mineral.  Often the dose of particular vitamins and minerals is several times the dose found in official “Multiple Vitamins & Minerals”.  Usually the specialty supplements skip many of the trace nutrients found in official MV&M.

How do you know which supplements you need?  How do you know how much of each you need?  When is it safe to take multiple specialty supplements – often with some nutrients present in several supplements?  Which of the 26 standard Vitamins and Minerals is it safe for you to skip entirely because you get enough in your personal diet?

I clearly remember one patient who had supplemented herself into renal failure.  5 of the 13 specialty supplements she was taking each had the maximum safe dose of Magnesium for a woman of her age and weight.  Her total dose was 31 times the amount in a standard MV&M.  She only partially recovered.

Ideally, you can get all the nutrients you need from eating dozens of different fruits and vegetables at least weekly.  Ideally, they have grown in soils with just the right mineral content, moisture and sunshine to maximize their ability to produce all of the required vitamins and minerals.  Avoiding some types of foods (such as meats, dairy, carbs, fats) makes getting complete nutrition more difficult.

Long ago I gave up trying to guess.  I just take a standard Multiple Vitamin & Mineral pill.  Adult Gummies available too.

Jay Ginther, MD

Categorised in: Nutrition